Takuma Sato has been offered a drive with the Midland team, previously Jordan, for the 2006 season.

Midland will continue with Toyota power next season and hope to improve on the mediocre results achieved this year by drivers Tiago Monteiro and Narain Karthikeyan.

Sato, dropped by BAR-Honda after a season peppered with accidents and mistakes, had previously commented that he was calm about his Formula One future. He has also been linked with the mysterious rumoured '11th' team, said to be Honda related.

Colin Kolles, Midland team chief, said "It's up to him - if he wants to sign he can be a Midland driver."

 

Interesting.

Does Midland want him because of his nationality and the fact that it is the same as their engine supplier's?

I watched the last race of the season on TSN because I was in Canada, and let me tell you, that race could have been entitled The Sato Roast Hour, the announcers were ALL OVER HIM!!!

About the only other thing I can say is, if he does sign and 2006 turns out to be another 2005, I suspect he is done in F1.

 

from the Toyota camp, its a known fact during the 2005 season, they've been hoping for a chance at Sato. Overall, in the big picture, Toyota have wanted to steal Sato and replace Trulli. So starting him at Midland F1 would be a "little coup"

I suspect Sato's waiting for that "hidden, secretive" 2nd Honda team to announce. He's had Honda backing from day one and I'm sure Honda are akin to the situation.. this offer just speeds the deliberations along.. should they keep him, the fact remains, he's STILL huge draw and posterboy in Japan. And if Toyota snag him, well we all know how $$ he'll bring in for them. And if Trulli falters like he has in races.. look for Sato to replace him, as nothing would be more monumental than a 2006 1st win for Toyota with a japanese driver..

so Gazza envisions.. but i don't see it happening..

one things clear, Rubinho better step up his "poor work ethic" and put in the wrench time like his former german teammate, for Honda cuz the Honda vs Toyota battle is going to be monumental in 2006

 

He has to be one of the worst F1 drivers i have ever seen who can take a good car and just plainly make mistakes after mistakes which cost his team certain points. I hate the politics in F1.

 

I hope they're thinkging of dumping Tiago and not Narain. Sato isn't THAT bad, he's just a little erratic, and I'm sure the pressures of this season only exacerbated that. I wouldn't go so far as saying he's the worst.

Sato has at times been faster than Button. It's just that BAR is so Button-centric that he has overdriven the car to get some respect.